The Unknown Life of Hermione Granger Year One
by President-Of-S.P.E.W
Summary: Even before Hermione was friends Ron Weasley, she was attracted to him, from his brilliantly red hair to the smudge of dirt on his nose. This closely follows the series, by Hermione's point of view. Very much so RONxHERMIONE!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter One

Hermione Granger was always the brightest girl of her age. The daughter of two well-established dentists, she was brought up to be the very best. Her parents told her that mediocrity was no option and from a very young age, she learned that she was either to be the top of everything or she would be nothing. That young girl never got the chance to be a child for she was much too busy with her studies. She received much praise from her parents and teachers but didn't have much time for friends. She was told that she didn't have friends because they we're as intelligent as she was and the right friends would come around eventually.

On August 20th, while Hermione was reading a book in her family room, her bushy hair falling in front of her big, brown eyes, there was a curious tap at the window. Her body jumped and she looked over, seeing a small, grey owl with a letter in its mouth on the other side of the glass.

"Oh!" She stood slowly and walked a little closer to the window. "Rather odd, aren't you?" I peered at the writing on the envelope and was shocked to see that it was addressed to her. She thought a moment, deciding that it would be safe to open the window and let the owl in since her parents were out at the office. She unlocked the brass latches and slowly slide the glass up, allowing the bird inside.

It landed gracefully on the arm of the couch and watched her with eager eyes. She approached it slowly, not wanting to scare it and it flies off somewhere else in the house. The last thing she needed was her parents to come home from work and find an owl hooting in their house. It sat still as Hermione walked up, gently taking the letter from his beak. He gave a happy squawk and disappeared out the window.

She flipped the envelope over and opened it with care. She pulled out the thick paper. It had an odd texture, certainly not the same kind of paper she used in school. She unfolded it and it read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School Witchcraft and Wizardry. A representative from the school will be arriving at your home to discuss and answer all questions that you and your parents may have on August 20th at 8:00 pm. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment that you will need during your stay at Hogwarts.

Term begins on September 1st. After all questions are answered, you may share your answer of attending the school with said representative.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Hermione slowly lowered the letter and she sit on the couch. She was a witch? Is that was the letter was insinuating?

'_Does that mean I'm special?'_ She pondered. _'Surely this must be a secret society for the elite minds. That's the only explanation as to why I would not have heard of it before now.'_

She ran up into her room and hid the letter where she knew it would be safe until her parents got home and allowed her imagination to get the best of her. She grabbed her pencil and waved it around like a wand, running to the mirror that hung in the entryway of her house. The smile that had been glowing on her soft face fell. Would she grow warts? What about her tiny nose? Would it grow large and hook at the end? She already wasn't entirely pleased with her looks, but the last thing she needed was to become ugly like the witches in her story books.

_'Like the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!' _She thought in horror. She stared at her reflection a few more minutes before laughing to herself. "Got a hold of yourself, Granger. If learning _magic_ takes being… unattractive, well, I'm sure there's a spell for that. Honestly, this is the most fascinating thing that has happened to anyone in the Granger family!"

When her parents got home, she waited as patiently as she could for them to relax into the chairs in the family room before she told them about her day. She twisted her hands and looked at each of them with a worried expression.

"Is something the matter, Hermione?" Her mother asked softly.

"Not really, mum. Actually, something wonderful has happened, but I'm not sure that you'll believe me when I tell you."

Her father chuckled. "Oh, Hermione, just tell us the news. You've never been one to tell stories, we'll believe you."

Hermione looked at her parents for a few more moments before taking a deep breath. "Well, I supposed I should start at the beginning?"

Her father nodded. "Very good place to start, dear."

She sighed. "Yes, well, I was sitting where you are now reading when I heard a tapping at the window. I turned around and saw…"

"Saw what?" Her mother prompted.

"An… an _owl_. And owl carrying a letter in its beak. And oddly enough, the letter was addressed to me."

Her father squinted his eyes in thought. "I'm not quite following."

"Maybe I should just let you read the letter." Hermione decided, racing up the stairs and retrieving the letter. She unfolded it and placed it in his hand gently.

He read it over, his eyebrows pulling together. "Darling," he addressed her mother, "read this."

She did, gasping as she finished. "Well, do you think it's legitimate? Should we trust a stranger in our house?"

"Oh, you must!" Hermione insisted. Her parents looked up at her in shock. "What I mean is," she backtracked, "I'm quite curious, to be honest. I wouldn't want something like, well, if this _is_ legitimate, I wouldn't want this opportunity to pass me by. It may in fact be the most significant thing to happen to me."

Her parents looked at each other in silent thought.

"I believe," her father began, "that you may be right, Hermione."

Her mother nodded. "We'll see what this visitor from Hogwarts has to say, but we do need to think this over. I'll need to begin making a list of all the questions. I suggest you do the same."

Hermione nodded with a huge smile on her face. "Thank you!" She raced up to her bedroom to her desk and jotted down every single question that came to mind on a legal pad.

It was 7:55 pm and everyone in the Granger house was a nervous wreck. Mrs. Granger was in the kitchen, making some finger sandwiches and cookies while Mr. Granger paced back and forth in the entry way. Hermione was sitting in her usual seat in the kitchen, her leg nervously bouncing up and down as she read over her questions for the umpteenth time.

As soon as the clock above the oven turned to 8:00 pm, there was a knock at the door. Hermione got off the chair and consciously reminded herself to walk, not run to see who the stranger was.

"Hello," her father greeted after the door hand been pulled open.

"Hello, Mr. Granger." Said an old voice. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts."

"Oh yes, yes, please, do come in!" Mr. Granger ushered.

Hermione rounded the corner to see a tall, old man with saggy skin and a long white beard. He was dressed in purple robes, which Hermione fond rather odd. He wore half-moon glasses on his crooked nose and his blue eyes seemed to be smiling, even though his face was rather serious.

"Ahh, Miss Granger. How do you do?" He addressed her.

Hermione was a bit startled that he knew who she was but kept her manners. "Quite pleasant, thank you. And you, sir?"

He smiled. "Very well, indeed."

"My wife is in the kitchen preparing a treat for us if you don't mind, Mr. Dumbledore." Mr. Granger spoke.

"Not at all, dear man, I'd be delighted to meet Mrs. Granger. And please, call me Albus."

Her father nodded and led Albus Dumbledore into the kitchen where Mrs. Granger was pulling the apron off.

"Dear, this is Mr. Albus Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster." Her father announced.

Mrs. Granger and Mr. Dumbledore greeted each other just as Mr. Granger and he did.

"I'm sorry if I seem upfront," Mrs. Granger said after their greetings, "but you must understand that this all seems rather odd. Would it be too much to ask for some proof?"

"Dear lady, not at all!" He laughed. "I would be alarmed if you didn't!" Albus Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a wooden stick.

"Is that a wand?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Yes, Miss Granger." He smiled. He waved it around and flicked it at the flower pot sitting in the center of the table. The daisies that had been yellowing and slightly droopy shot straight up, seeming to glow that they were so white, and grew about twice their size.

"Oh!" Mrs. Granger and Hermione both gasped at the same time.

Hermione's eyes grew larger and she took a step forward and touched them. "That was beautiful." She grinned.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. But I must say, the magic you will perform will be much greater than anything I've ever done." He leaned down closer to her, "And between you and I, that's saying something."

Her face lit up and she looked eagerly at her parents.

"P-Please, Albus, sit down." He led him to a chair while Mrs. Granger numbly got the sandwiches and cookies and brought them to the table.

Albus Dumbledore sat down and waited patiently for her mother and father to sit as well.

"Oh, drinks!" Her mother started to get up.

"Nonsense! I can get it for myself, Mrs. Granger, please, collect your thoughts. We have much to discuss." With another wave of his wand, four glasses appeared, immediately filling themselves up with pumpkin juice.

The Grangers all murmured their thanks and Albus Dumbledore nodded. "Now, Miss Granger, I have a feeling that you have something weighing heavily on your mind?"

"Yes, sir." Hermione answered. He seemed to know everything! "Well, I was wondering, is it normal for you to talk to the families?"

_'Did his eyes _twinkle_?'_ Hermione thought incredulously to herself.

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Very good question, Miss Granger. You see, this is in fact the first time I have personally visited a muggle-born family about their child in about fifty years."

"_Muggle_?" Mr. Granger asked.

"_Fifty_ years?" Mrs. Granger questioned.

"Why, sir?" Hermione prompted.

"A muggle is another name for humans who do not have magical abilities. And yes, dear lady, fifty years." He laughed. After a moment, he turned to Hermione. "Now your question, dear. I have come to personally see that you attend Hogwarts because I believe your abilities could be great and extremely useful."

"Useful for what?" Mr. Granger asked with narrowed eyes.

"No need to be suspicious, Mr. Granger, I was simply saying that we could really use more witches and wizards as talented as she will be."

"But how do you know, sir? That I will be talented?"Hermione asked.

He lowered his head. "I have my ways, Miss Granger."

"Well, Albus, I have looked at her list of school supplies and I must say that I'm not entirely sure where you wish for us to purchase these items."

"Everything you will need will be available on Diagon Alley." He answered.

"Diagon Alley?" Mr. Granger's eyebrows were pulling together. "I don't remember any _Diagon Alley_."

"It's quite simple, really." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small piece of paper like the kind that her letter was written on and handed it to her father. "You will need to show Tom this and he will take you to Diagon Alley. You will find him in The Leaky Cauldron in London. He's the bartender there."

"A _pub_?" Mrs. Granger squeaked.

"Very safe, I assure you." Dumblebore said gently. He reached into the other side of his robes and handed a blue ticket to Mr. Granger.

"Platform 9 ¾ ?" He laughed. "This can't possibly be correct!"

"It is." Dumblebore chuckled. "You see, the platform must be hidden from other muggles. When you reach the wall in between platforms nine and ten, simply run at the wall and you will find yourself right next to the train."

"It won't hurt me?" Hermione asked. She'd run into quite a few walls in her day, mainly from walking and reading at the same time, but she had never _run_ into a wall.

"No, Miss Granger. It won't. You'll go right through it."

They asked many, many questions including where Hermione would be staying, when she would be coming home, if they accepted muggle money and where to exchange it for wizard money, what she would be learning, and who would be watching after her.

"That is not yet know." Dumbledore answered the last question. "You see, when students first come to Hogwarts, they are sorted into one of four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin."

Hermione cringed at the sound of Slytherin. It sounded evil. "Which house do you think I would be sorted into, sir?"

He chuckled. "It's hard to say, Miss Granger. In one of your textbooks, _Hogwarts, A History_, you will find a chapter dedicated to the explanation of each house. I would read up on them and decided which _you_ think you would best belong in."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, sir."

All too soon, Albus Dumbledore left and the Grangers were alone to their thoughts. Hermione would be starting a new school in a few short weeks. A new _magic_ school. As she climbed into her soft bed, Hermione fell into a glorious night of sleep, full of wondrous dreams of being the best witch in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter Two

The following Saturday, the Grangers all huddled in their vehicle and drove to the Leaky Cauldron. When they arrived, Mrs. Granger held onto Hermione's hand so tightly, that Hermione was afraid that it just might break.

"Mum," she winced, "you're hurting me."

"Oh! Sorry, dear. Just stand close to me, would you?" Mrs. Granger pushed her own brown hair behind her ear and continued to sweep their surrounding's with her hazel eyes.

Mr. Granger on the other hand was standing tall, with his body slightly in front of Hermione and her mother's. He adjusted his glasses before pulling open the door and stepping inside.

The people inside were dressed rather odd, just like Albus Dumbledore. No one inside was dressed in regular clothes, which made Hermione come to the conclusion that magic people simply dressed that way. She looked down, seeing her own attire and immediately felt out of place.

The people in the pub seemed to think so as well, as they all quieted their conversations and were watching the Granger's out of the corners of their eyes.

"May I help you?" Asked an old man from behind the counter. The wrinkles in the corners of his eyes became more and more dramatic as he narrowed his eyes at them.

"Uhhh yes, sir. We're looking for Tom?" Mr. Granger spoke softly.

"You're lookin' at 'em." Tom answered.

"Oh, good, good." Mr. Granger flumbled into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper as Hermione's mother began to clutch her hand once more.

"Oh, why didn't you say Dumbledore sentcha? Aye, Marty! Show dees fine people over to Gringots and get them started on their supplies, will ya?" He grinned at the Grangers and a scrawny boy who looked about fifteen scrambled out from behind the counter and raced up to them.

"I'm Marty." He smiled. "Follow me, please." He led them to a brick wall and tapped around with his wand. The bricks trembled slightly before shifting around to show a secret shopping place for witches and wizards. "Welcome to Diagon Alley! Now, if you'll direct your attention over to this building, this is Olivander's. This'll be the first place you'll wanna go to get her wand."

Hermione felt her stomach give a nervous and excited flip as she looked inside the store to see an old man with a cloud of snow white hair handing a little boy a wand.

"And over here is the book shop, oh, and over there is the pet shop. And you'll pick out your robes here."

"What is that?" Mrs. Granger asked, pointing straight ahead.

"That there is Gringotts. Now, be warned that there's no human that works in that building."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. She was so curious that she could hardly stand it.

"Well, it's run by goblins. Try not to stare at them, they're not the nicest creatures." He said bitterly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. Was he joking? He had to be!

They walked through the heavy doors and were confronted by a startling sight.

'_I suppose he wasn't joking.' _Hermione thought, alarmed. Wondering about the building were tiny, ugly creatures with long, crooked noses and large pointed ears. Their beady black eyes glared at them as they entered and one of them snapped, "What are you looking at?" as they passed.

Marty glared back at them and walked stiffly to the counter.

"Another exchange, Marty?" The goblin behind the counter asked with a freakishly high pitched voice.

"We do." Marty nodded. He turned to Mr. Granger. How much money do you have?"

"How much do we need?" He questioned.

"It will all cost anywhere between 100 and 200 pounds."

Mr. Granger opened his wallet and handed over the money. The goblin inspected the money carefully before handing over a sack of coins. "Have a nice day."

They all muttered their thanks before nearly sprinting out of the building. They suddenly didn't feel as awkward and felt free to breathe.

"Nasty things, aren't they? I get the chills just thinking about them." Marty shook as he talked. "Well, this is where I leave you. Every store you'll need is on this street so have some fun and take a look around. If you get lost, just ask the store keeper, they're all rather pleasant folk. Goodbye!"

"Bye." Hermione waved as he turned his back and started back down the street.

"Well, he was a nice boy." Mrs. Granger smiled, looking at Mr. Granger. "I supposed we should go back to that wand place. What was it called again, dear?"

"Olivanders." Hermione answered automatically. It surprised her how she hadn't even had to think of the name of the store but she shoved those thoughts aside as they started to walk to the shop.

"Mum! Fred and George are picking on Ron again!" A tiny red haired girl called, pulling on the sleeve of a woman who shared the same shade of hair. Hermione followed their gaze over to three boy who also had the same hair. There were two older twins, whom Hermione assumed were Fred and George and a shorter, though not by much, boy whose pretty blue eyes captured her attention at once who must have been Ron.

"No we're not!" Once of the twins said with a smirk.

"We're just playing around, Mum!" The other grinned.

"Stuffing a chocolate frog down my pants isn't playing around, you gits!" The blue eyed boy pouted.

"Ronald Weasley! Don't you let me hear you speaking like that again, do you understand me?" The mother's eyes narrowed to glare at Ron.

"Yes, Mum." He said grudgingly as Fred and George high-fived each other.

"And don't you think for a moment that I've forgotten about you two. I'll deal with you properly when we get home. I'm thinking a few chores are in order."

"Oh, Mum!" They both groaned. Ron looked a little smug.

As Hermione and her family were about to pass, Ron looked over at her and gave her a weak smile, his ears turning a little pink.

She smiled back, wondering what on earth was wrong with her stomach as it gave a nervous jolt in her belly. She decided she'd read up on it if she had any time to today, but she honestly wasn't too sure. She had a feeling that she would begin reading all of her text books tonight.

As they entered Olivanders, the man walked up to her and shook her hand.

"Hello, Miss. And what is your name?" the old man asked.

"Hermione Granger, sir. And yours?"

"Olivander." He smiled, "Your first wand is very important, Miss Granger. We'll find the perfect one for you. Now parents, if you don't mind taking a seat over there, we'll begin." He shuffled over to some tall shelves and began to rummage through the contents. Mr. Granger pulled Mrs. Granger away as Hermione stood frozen in place.

"Ahh! Here we go!" He rushed back and handed a dark wooden wand to her. "Wave it about, Miss Granger."

She did, causing all of the boxes on the shelves to fly off and drop to the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" Hermione apologized.

"No need, Miss Granger, no need!" He chuckled, waving his wand. All the boxes rose gracefully off the ground and arranged themselves on the shelves again. "But I will be taking this and finding a more suitable wand."

Hermione made a mental note to figure out why she couldn't just pick a wand like you pick shoes or a book at any other store.

"Now this one shall do. You see, the power of the last one was just right, but the wood was not. You're a very stubborn witch, are you not? Always doing things you believe are right, even if others don't believe the same as you do?"

Hermione's eyebrows pulled together. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, Mr. Olivander."

Olivander shook his head and grinned at her. You'll learn, Miss Granger. But here. Take this wand and give it a wave."

Hermione looked at the wand wearily before swishing it in the air. Where she waved it, a pretty yellow rose bloomed from the floor.

"Ahh, yes. I believe we've found our match." He bent down and picked the rose, handing it to Hermione. "That wand there is made of vine wood and dragon heartstring. You will make beautiful magic, Miss Granger. Just you wait and see."

After buying the rest of her items, the Grangers all made their way back through the pub, waving goodbye to both Marty and Tom and heading home. Hermione was chatting happily to her parents about how excited she was and how she couldn't wait to learn all there was to know about magic. She vowed that she would be the top of her class.

On the morning of September 1st, Hermione jumped out of bed exactly at 7:00 am. The train would be leaving in four hours and Hermione's excitement was beyond words. She ran into her bathroom and turned on the shower, quickly stripping her clothes and hopping in. As she shampooed her hair, she thought about her textbooks which she had already read twice each. _Hogwarts, A History_ was by far her favorite. She was entirely fascinated at the thought of the magical school and couldn't help but read every bit of information she had about it.

After washing all the product out of her hair and scrubbing her creamy skin, she quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around her petite body, running into her room to gather her clothes. She dressed in her best school skirt and sweater, checking in the mirror before sprinting back into her bathroom to brush through her hair and dry it slightly, though she much preferred to spend her time doing other things, so she let it mostly dry on its own.

_'It's hopeless anyway.'_ She thought bitterly to herself. She quickly pushed all negative thoughts out of her head. _'Not today._'She told herself, _'Today is going to be the best day of my life.'_

Her mother was already down stairs cooking breakfast when Hermione came down.

"Are you _sure_ that you have everything together, sweetheart? Once you leave, you won't be able to bring it to school with you until Christmas time."

"I've triple checked everything, Mum." She grinned. She hopped into her seat at the kitchen table and sat patiently.

"Good morning, girls." Mr. Granger smiled as he walked in, rustling Hermione's hair and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Busy day today."

"Exciting day." Hermione corrected.

He nodded. "Very true. Now Hermione, are you _sure_ you've packed ever-"

"I've already asked her, dear." Her mom laughed. She carried the skillet over and poured some scrambled eggs on each plate.

"Right, right. Just making sure, is all."

Breakfast was very quiet. Hermione's parents giving her worried glances when they thought we wasn't looking. As breakfast was nearly over, Hermione spoke.

"I will be alright. You know this?" She asked.

Her father cleared his throat. "It's not that we don't trust you, Hermione. We just worry is all."

Hermione decided that they were simply going to worry and that there wasn't too much that she could do about it. She finished her meal, doing the dishes for the last time for she didn't know how long and got her truck and other belongings together, bringing them downstairs. Around 9:30, the Grangers all climbed into their vehicle and drove off the London train station. It was packed, of course. Business men and women running in every which direction, clutching onto their briefcases. Hermione looked around and obsessively tired to hide her nervousness.

"This way, dears." Mr. Granger led the way to Platforms 9 and 10. "It should be around here somewhere."

Hermione clutched onto the handles of her trolley, wiping them off onto her skirt every couple minutes as they kept getting sweaty.

"Well, there's no sign, but I suppose there wouldn't be if it's supposed to be secret." Mr. Granger said in a whisper.

"Well we can't just send her off to run into a wall. Let's wait here and watch. If no one else does it, we'll just go home."

"Mum!" Hermione began to complain.

"Hermione, it's just a precaution, dear." Mr. Granger gave her a weak smile. Hermione noticed his tired eyes behind his rectangular glasses and immediately felt guilty. It seemed that both of them were simply on pins and needles about her going to Hogwarts.

"It'll be alright. I'll be fine." She smiled at them.

Mrs. Granger hugged her daughter tight and Mr. Granger rubbed her shoulder.

Hermione looked over to where the platform was supposed to be, hearing a familiar voice.

"Fred, you next." Said the red-haired woman from Diagon Alley.

"Mum, Dad, look!" Hermione smiled.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George! Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you _tell_ I'm George?" One of the twins scolded.

Hermione let out a small giggle and watched closely.

"Sorry, George, dear." She apologized.

"Only joking, I am Fred." Hermione watched him as he, closely followed by his twin, ran at the wall and suddenly vanished. She looked back over at the mother to see the blue-eyed boy looking at the wall wearily.

_'It must be his first year too.' _Hermione thought happily. At least she would know someone familiar. She continued to watch as a scrawny black-haired boy with glasses approached them.

"Hermione!" Her mother snapped in front of her eyes.

"Oh, sorry!" Hermione's head snapped back to her parents who were now staring at her even more worried than they had been before. "I promise you that I'll be alright. It's only a school."

Her mother smiled apologetically at her. "You're right. We're just being silly. Nothing dangerous about school." She paused a moment. "But I do want you to write the _moment_ you get there and I best receive a letter at least once a week. I want to stay updated, you hear me?"

"Yes, Mum." Hermione grinned as her father shook his head and chuckled. She gave them both a hug and kiss, then turned just in time to see a flash of red hair disappearing through the wall. Her parents walked her over to where the mother was still standing, looking like she was about to walk in herself. She glanced over at the Grangers.

"You may go first, dear." She smiled happily.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled. She gave one last wave before running at the wall, ignoring her instincts to stop, and with a loud _'whoosh!'_ she stood looking at a giant red train reading '_Hogwarts Express'_.

She rolled her trolley over to where a man stood in a uniform, giving out instructions and taking trunks. She walked up to him and gave him a smile.

He smiled back. "Ticket, Miss?" She handed it to him and he pointed his wand at it. "Very good. You'll be in this section here with the other first years. Go along and find a seat before it fills up."

"Thank you, sir." She clutched her robes and wand and made her way into the train. Children were running about, giggling and smiling at her as she passed. She returned the smiles, keeping an eye out for the blue-eyed boy but could never find him. She decided to go into a compartment with a slightly chubby girl and an awkward looking boy.

"May I sit with you two?" She asked with a weak smile.

"Sure, c-come on in." The boy stuttered, turning slightly pink.

She quickly took her seat and turned to them. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Neville Longbottom." Said the boy.

"Susan Bones." The girl stated in a timid voice.

"It's nice to meet you two." She felt strange trying to converse with kids her own age. They were quiet for a long time, well after the train had left. Hermione wondering if she should seek out another compartment.

Not too after, there was a knock at the door. It opened, reveling an old woman with a trolley of strange candies that Hermione had never seen before.

"Would you care for any sweets, dears?" The woman asked.

"Two chocolate frogs please." Susan said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two sickles.

"One for me, please." Hermione copied, hoping she'd blend better if she got something. She made a mental note to not indulge too often. She was sure her parents, being dentists, would not be too thrilled about it.

They both collected their things and sat down as the woman wheeled off to the next compartment.

"Gran doesn't let me have chocolate." Neville stated nervously. "She says it's really bad for you."

"You can have some of mine." Hermione offered. "My parents don't want me to have sweets either. They're dentists, you see."

"Thanks!" Neville grinned. "I have a real frog, you know."

"Do you really?" Susan asked. An empty container lay next to her and she had paused unwrapping the other one.

"Well, he's a toad, really. But I think they're kind of the same." He reached into his pocket, his eyes widening and he shot up. "Oh no! I've lost him! I've lost Trevor!"

"Did you have him when you got on the train?" Hermione asked looking around the floor.

"He was in my pocket when I sat down! Oh, Gran is going to be _so mad_!" He got down on all fours and looked around.

"I'll finish here, you go look around the other parts of the train, ok?" Hermione stood, helping him up.

He nodded thankfully and rushed out of the door.

"I have a feeling it won't be the first time he loses him." Susan said quietly, pulling the box open and grabbing the chocolate frog before it could jump away.

Hermione looked around the compartment some more before pursing her lips. "Will you stay here," she started, sliding her robes on, "and keep our seats please? I'm going to help him look for Trevor."

Susan nodded and looked out of the window.

Hermione hurried out of the compartment and started going to each door, asking everyone if they'd seen Neville's toad. She had gone to about six compartments when she heard someone talking about a wand.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-"

She pushed the door open to find the blue-eyed boy with his wand out and the black-haired boy watching him. She looked around a second, biting her lip before turning to them.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She was getting slightly tired of searching for the animal and really wished she could just sit down and talk to the boys, whom seemed to be having a much more engaging conversation than she had had with Susan and Neville.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it." The blue-eyed boy said.

Hermione pried her eyes away from his, seeing a bit of dirt on his nose, and looked at his wand which was pointed at a rather old-looking rat, smiling slightly. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." Hermione sat down, feeling rather excited to see someone her own age performing magic.

"Eh- all right." The boy cleared his throat. "_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."_

Hermione felt her eyebrows pull together as she watched the rat for a moment, quite disappointed that it didn't change color, or even wake up for that matter. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me." She immediately tried to back-track, feeling rude. "Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-" _'I'm rambling'_ she thought miserably, 'I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough-" She paused a moment. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

"I'm Ron Weasley." The blue-eyed boy told her. She felt embarrassed by the look he was giving her. She had clearly made a fool of herself.

"Harry Potter." Said the other boy. His voice shocked her for she had forgotten that she was in the room, then she remembered the name.

"Are you really?" She smiled at him, trying to make up for not paying any attention to him before. "I know all about you, of course- I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and_ Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_." She felt that her knowledge wasn't getting her anywhere with these two, which scared her as that seemed to be the only thing she had going for her. If only she had spent time on her hair this morning!

"I am?" Harry asked, hi eyebrows up.

This surprised Hermione. "Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." She tried to think of another subject quickly. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around," she lied, "and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad…" She paused a second but neither of them looked like they were going to answer. "Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione jumped up and rushed out of the compartment, mentally scolding herself for acting so silly all because of a boy. She asked the few remaining compartments, who all shook their heads. She stopped to ask the conductor when they would arrive and started back to her own room when she heard an awful commotion coming from Ron and Harry's compartment. Three boys ran out, rushing the opposite direction that Hermione was going and disappeared.

Hermione looked around, seeing candies and Ron on the floor. He was picking his rat up by the tail. "What _has_ been going on?" She thought back to those boys and wondered if they'd been fighting.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry as her inspected his rat, completely ignoring her. Hermione ignored the shame that she felt and continued to listen as his eyes widened. "No- I don't believe it- he's gone back to sleep." He looked back up at Harry. "You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry began a story about seeing Malfoy in the robes shop in Diagon Alley, but Hermione wasn't paying too much attention. She just kept watching the rat from a distance, thanking Merlin that it wasn't dead.

"I've heard of his family," Ron's voice brought her back out of her thoughts, "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." Ron stopped and looked up at Hermione. "Can we help you with something?" He asked her with annoyance ringing in his voice.

Hermione felt anger slightly brew in her tummy. "You'd better hurry up and put you're robes on," she attempted to be helpful and polite. "I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he say's we're nearly there." She paused for a moment, but couldn't stop herself. "You haven't been fighting, have you?" She felt a nearly desperate need to keep them out of harm's way. "You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

His eyes narrowed, "Scabbers has been fighting, not us! Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right-" Hermione started, feeling more and more powerless as the conversation went on. "I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." She felt as if she were going to cry. It didn't seem to matter if she was trying to help them or not, Ron didn't seem to care. She felt the anger once again and gritted her teeth. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" She rushed out of the compartment once more, heading straight to her own. She vowed she wouldn't try and help them again, as they, Ron especially, seemed to not appreciate it at all.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." The conductor's voice rang through the train. Hermione took a deep breath, battling nerves, anger, and embarrassment and she went to sit down in her compartment and wait for their arrival at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter Three

Hermione immediately surveyed her surroundings, amazed. She could see the outlining of what seemed to be a castle against the night sky and a _huge_ man standing with a dog, trying to get all of the first year's attention. He had a huge beard that seemed to cover his giant face and his voice boomed through the chatter of the students.

"Firs' years, follow me- any more firs' years?" He called. Neville was staying quiet close to Hermione and nearly tripped over his own shoes. "Mind yer step, now!" The big man smiled softly at Neville. "Firs' years, follow me!"

Hermione and her fellow classmates followed the giant man down this steep hill down to what seemed to be a rather large lake. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the man called, "jus' round this bend here."

Hermione couldn't help but gasp along with her fellow first years. The water glistened in the moonlight, causing Hermione to think of a romance novel that she had read earlier in the summer. Her eyes drifted over to Ron who was standing next to Harry. She inched her way through the crowd of students to get closer to them, Neville closely behind her. She seemed to have gained a friend, or an admirer. She shuttered slightly at the thought.

"No more'n four to a boat!" He yelled out to us as he pointed out to a large amount of little boats that were sitting on the shore. Hermione made sure she sailed in the same boat as Ron and Harry, even if Neville would be accompanying her as well. When everyone got situated, the big man spoke again.

"Everyone in? Alright then, forward!" The little boats immediately began forward, taking them across the water, under curtains of ivy, and through a dark tunnel that seemed to lead to an underground harbor underneath the castle.

Hermione stepped out of the boat unsteadily, gripping an arm as she nearly fell onto the wet rocks. She stood up quickly, adjusting herself and was quite embarrassed to see that it was Ron's arm she'd grabbed.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time. Hermione felt her face heat up as Ron's face and ears turned red. They watched each other for a minute before being startled by the large man.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?"

"Trevor!" Neville scrambled from Hermione's side, snatching up the toad and hurrying back to her. She looked back to where Ron had been; not at all surprised that he was now standing next to Harry, his ears still slightly pink.

Once everyone had gotten out of the boats, Hermione felt another person join me. She looked over to see Susan Bones, looking pale and her lips pressed tightly together. She patted Susan's arm, trying to be comforting. It either didn't help or Susan ignored her.

The man lead the down a little farther past the patch of wet grass and up a set of stone steps. Hermione wiped her shaky hands on her robes as the man turned back around to them. "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Neville tensed up at Hermione's side and nodded nervously.

The man raised his giant hand and knocked on the huge door three times. The door swung open and slowed an older woman with square glasses and a very serious face. She seemed like the kind of professor that Hermione would certainly get along with.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." The giant man announced.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

Hermione stored both of their names into memory as they entered the grand castle. It was absolutely beautiful, reminding her of something a midevil royal castle, reminding her of that romance novel again. Once everyone was inside, Professor McGonagall turned to them, unsmiling.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called," she began, with Hermione mentally reciting them with her, "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." Hermione continued to listen to Professor McGonagall intently as she continued to discuss the houses and the point system. She left, telling them to straighten themselves up before the Sorting ceremony.

Everyone began to nervously fidget as they corrected their robes and drew their fingers through their hair as an attempt to fix it.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Hermione heard Harry ask Ron.

Hermione watched Ron's eyebrows pull together and his nose scrunch up. "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Hermione's heart began beating fast in her chest. She quickly ran through all of the spells she'd learned, whispering them to Susan and Neville and trying to give them quick explanations before they went in there just in case they needed them. Wouldn't it be unfair of them to test first years before they'd even had a single lesson? Although, maybe it'd be something she'd have to know automatically.

Her nerves began racing as she imagined the whole school sitting there in the Great Hall and watching her as she attempted to perform some unknown task. '_Please let me be in Gryffindor_' she begged silently.

There were loud screams behind her and she leaped, turning quickly and grasped her wand, ready to use the defense spells she'd read about when she saw what all of the fuss was about. '_Ghosts_' she smiled. She knew that there was nothing to fear. She'd read all about them in '_Hogwarts, A History_'. She tuned out of everyone's chatter and began to focus on the spells again. She continued to recite them quietly under her breath, ignoring the puzzled looks Ron was giving her.

"Move along now," Hermione heard Professor McGonagall, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Now, form a line and follow me."

Hermione quickly got into the forming line, staying as close to the redhead as possible. She felt Susan and Neville fight slightly to be the one to stand directly behind her. She had a feeling that Susan won. As the doors were opened and the students followed, Hermione pushed all anxious thoughts out of her head and prepared herself for the sorting tests, biting her lip and stealing one more glance at Ron, who happened to be glancing back at her. He gave her a nervous, crooked grin before turning back to the front where Albus Dumbledore sat smiling warmly at them.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter 4

Hermione smiled widely as she looked around. The Great Hall was gorgeous, gold accenting everything inside. There were four long tables, each easily identified by the colors draping them. There were an absurd amount of students which deeply surprised Hermione. She had no idea that there were so many witches and wizards out there! In the front of the Great Hall was another long table, where she assumed all the professors sat. Albus Dumbledore was sitting right in the middle, making eye contact with each of the first years. Hermione grinned when he looked her way, and he gave a small nod. Behind them were the holding glasses for the house points she'd read about.

Neville nudged her and pointed up. Hermione gasped when she saw the ceiling. It was black as the sky outside and little stars were twinkling. Candles floated above them, lighting the room in a brilliant and warm glow. She couldn't help but fall in love with it. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside." She told him, "I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_."

She managed to peel her eyes away from ceiling and saw Professor McGonagall setting down a wooden stool with an ancient and dirty looking hat. Hermione immediately began running through the spells she may need. Would they want her to change it? She'd read through her Transfigurations text a few times, but she still wasn't entirely sure that she'd mastered it. Not to mention, she hadn't seen anything in her text about transforming anything larger than a small cup. This old hat was much too large.

Once the first years had all reached the front of the Great Hall, Hermione was shocked to see the hat speak.

'_It's _singing_!'_ Hermione watched it with amazement, listening keenly for any hints or clues that would help her for the test. Much to her disappointment, she couldn't decipher anything of use. All the hat sang about was about the houses and their distinct traits.

Hermione felt herself tense up as everyone began applauding the old hat. Hermione squared her shoulders and clapped a few times before taking deep breaths as an attempt to relax. She may only have to put on the hat, but in her mind, that was even more frightening. Whatever the hat decided was where she was going to be. With another deep breath, she decided she was ready. She was going to prove that she more than deserved to be in Hogwarts, more importantly, Gryffindor.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Hermione turned to Ron who was wearing a funny expression of relief and irritation. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Hermione coughed to keep from laughing. Ron turned around with his eyebrows raised. They both blushed again when their eyes met.

_'Don't let yourself get distracted, Granger,'_ Hermione thought to herself, _'you need to focus.'_

Professor McGonagall walked up to the hat with a large roll of parchment in her hands. She unrolled it and spoke loudly. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She began going through the names in alphabetical order, making Hermione's young heart beat faster and faster as Professor McGonagall ran quickly through the names. Before she knew it, her name was called.

"Granger, Hermione!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, looking around.

Hermione's heart burst into a sprint and she knew she needed to get up there and get it over with a quickly as possible. 'Just breathe and relax.' She told herself. 'You've got this, Granger. There's nothing they can throw at you that you can't handle.'

She walked quickly up to the stool and carefully picked up the hat, placing it on her head nervously and waited for it to announce where her future lied. '_Gryffindor, say Gryffindor, please, please say Gryffindor!'_ Hermione begged silently. She felt very nervous with everyone's eyes on her. She scanned the crowd of first years left and found Ron, watching her intensely.

"You certainly have the brains for Ravenclaw, you know." said a small voice. Hermione gasped but stayed still. "You're entirely sure of your decision?"

'_Yes, put me in Gryffindor.'_ She paused a moment. _'Please._'

"If that's what you want." The voice stated slowly with a tinge of humor in its voice. "You've got quite the future ahead of you, Miss Granger." It paused before announcing loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione jumped up, using every bit of willpower to keep from jumping up and down in pure delight. She tried to walk with her head held high, smiling at her fellow Gryffindors who stood applauding her. A redheaded boy pulled her over and patted her on the back. "Good for you, Granger, good for you. My name is Percy Weasley and I'm a Gryffindor prefect. If you have any problems or questions, any at all, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to assist."

"Oh calm down, Percy." Said one of the twins that Hermione recongnized as either Fred or George.

"Right, I'm sure the pretty lady," The other started.

"The _very_ pretty lady," added the first twin with a wink.

"Cares all that much about whatever you're babbling about." Both of them grinned and laughed when Percy began telling them that he would deduct points from them for being rude pranksters.

"Deduct all you like, Percy-kins." The second twin chuckled.

"But don't be at all surprised if you're disowned from your house." The first ended for the second twin.

They all began bickering until it was Harry's turn, then they all became silent. There were whispers all over the Great Hall, and I felt quite sympathetic for him. She remembered that he hadn't known he was famous, and the fact that he was famous for defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and everyone knew more about it than he did had to have been a lot to take in.

He was up there for a long time and seemed to be having a longer conversation with the hat than she had. She watched him for a moment before she began to feel guilty for staring. She then turned her attention to Ron. He was standing in the considerably smaller group of first years and was looking quite pale. She was pretty sure that he'd be in Gryffindor as well and her heart became all fluttery again. Maybe she'd get the chance to know him better and prove that she wasn't as crazy as she'd made herself out to be.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat finally decided, startling her out of her thoughts. She stood up with the rest of the Gryffindors as they all cheered and clapped for Harry. They seemed very proud that he was in their house.

Harry took his seat next to Hermione and she gave him a small smile. She knew he'd probably just want people to treat him normally. She knew she would.

She kept her eyes on Ron, watching him as he became increasingly green. When it was his turn, there was only he and one other boy. He looked as if he wanted to run away.

'_Say Gryffindor._' Hermione watched him anxiously. She looked over at Dumbledore who had a polite smile on his face. She didn't have time to think about it before the Sorting Hat exclaimed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione jumped up and clapped, getting a couple funny looks from Fred and George. She didn't want to think about how they might cause trouble for her if they pieced this together.

Ron sat on the chair on the other side of Harry and looked far less green.

"Well done, Ron, excellent." Percy congratulated from behind her. Ron looked up at him and nodded. His blue eyes lowered until he was looking into hers. She gave him a small smile but he looked away quickly. Hermione felt her tummy do summersaults when his ears turned pink.

Everyone fell silent as Albus Dumbledore got up and stood at his golden podium. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words." He paused and grinned. "And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Hermione felt her eyebrows pull together. Was it supposed to mean something?

"Thank you!" He walked back to his chair and sat down as everyone clapped, cheered, and laughed.

"Is he-" She heard Harry start to say, "a bit mad?" Hermione couldn't have asked it better herself.

"Mad?" Percy answered. She noticed his chest seemed to be puffed out ridiculously. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But is he a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Hermione gasped, looking at the table in front of her suddenly full of food. She was amazed, never seeing so much food in her life, even more so than what she'd have at Christmas dinner! Her stomach gave an empty growl and her mouth began to water and she saw her favorite food: Mashed potatoes. She eagerly helped herself, adding roasted chicken, peas, carrots, and a lake of gravy. She attempted to stay far away from the desserts, but she just couldn't help herself from a helping of Yorkshire pudding and strawberries.

Hermione had mostly tuned everyone out, focusing on the food in front of her. She didn't pay any attention to anyone until she heard Ron's voice.

"I know who you are! My brothers told me about you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

'_Nearly headless?_' Hermione stopped chewing her food and looked up at the ghost questionably.

"I would _prefer_ you call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-" He started but a boy with dirty blonde hair interrupted him.

"_Nearly_ headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?" He asked. Hermione was very curious about this as well.

With a huff, the ghost said, "Like this." And nearly pulled his head off of his shoulders, exposing ghostly flesh and bones barely hanging on to his body. Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth and decided that she would preoccupy her mind with going over the spells again. She didn't want to hear anymore about Nearly Headless Nick or Sir Nicholas de Mimsy or whatever his real name was. She really didn't want to throw up all of the delicious food she'd just eaten. It'd be a shameful waste.

"You seem to be deep in thought, Miss Granger." Percy Weasley smiled friendly.

Hermione grinned back, "I was just trying to think about the spells that I had read about. I'm rather excited for the lessons to begin."

Percy nodded. "Yes, we have some very fine professors at this school, very fine professors indeed."

She couldn't help herself. "I _do_ hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfigurations, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"

"You'll be starting small," Percy interrupted her, "just matches into needles, that sort of thing."

"Well, I think it's absolutely fascinating." Hermione told him breathlessly. She pushed her hair back behind her ear.

They were interrupted by Harry exclaiming in pain. Hermione turned around to see him with a hand pressed against is forehead.

"What is it?" Percy asked. He looked to Fred and George, as if they were behind it somehow.

"N-nothing." Harry told him.

Hermione noticed that what he'd been holding down was his scar. Could a scar hurt? She didn't remember reading anything about a scar hurting. Although, it was very dark magic that had been the cause of that scar. '_One of the three Unforgivable Curses._' Hermione remembered. She made a mental note to read up on the curses and their effects after lessons had started. The last thing Harry needed on top of all of this embarrassment was to be in pain.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by Albus Dumbledore. "Ahem- I have a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term noticed to give you."

Hermione sat up straight in her seat and made sure to pay extra close attention.

"First years should note that the forest on the ground is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Hermione noticed that he looked right at Fred and George as he said this, causing her a chuckle quietly under her breath.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their houses should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Hermione gasped as a couple students laughed. She looked around, then back at Dumbledore. She couldn't believe that he wasn't joking.

"He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Percy. Ron leaned forward to see his brother's response, making eye contact with Hermione again before she turned to look at Percy as well.

"Must be. It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere- the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might hsve told us prefects, at least."

Hermione controlled the urge to roll her eyes as he puffed out his boney chest again.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore exclaimed with a happy smile on his face. "Everyone pick their favorite tune and here we go!"

The school song was rather odd, in Hermione's opinion, but she couldn't help but giggle at Dumbledore as he stood at his podium, using his wand as a conductor would. The Weasley twins finished last, making everyone else laugh even harder when Dumbledore jokingly began conducting their own version with a giant grin plastered to his withered face.

"Ah, music," he wiped his eyes as if he'd teared up. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

As Hermione followed Percy and her fellow Gryffindors up to the Gryffindor dormitories, she couldn't help but think of what a strange but magical place Hogwarts was. She felt as if she'd experienced more in one night than she had in her entire life. She felt the back of her hand brush up against someone else's as she was staring up at the moving paintings.

"Sorry." She said, looking at Ron, who had shoved his hands in his robes and was blushing bright red.

"Nah, it's my fault." He muttered before hurrying up to walk next to Harry. Hermione felt her face crumble up in confusion as she watched the strange blue-eyed boy. She wondered about his behavior and what he was thinking. She noticed he hadn't acted that way to any of the other girls. In fact, she hadn't seen him even glance in their direction. She tried to put these thoughts to rest, knowing that it'd be hard enough to get to sleep without worrying about Ron Weasley.


	5. Chapter 5

**President_Of_S.P.E.W is back! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update but I promise you I'll be working had to finish up my stories to the best of my abilities. And to anyone who was gracious enough to review, I very much appreciate them! I'll be responding to any reviews from here on out so let me have 'em! **

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter 5

Hermione turned on her side and snuggled her face into her pillow. She'd dreamt of going to Transfigurations class where she successfully transfigured the Sorting Hat into a beautiful bouquet of roses, her favorite flower, on the first day. All the students and professors clapped and cheered. Professor Albus Dumbledore shook her hand, praising her on what a bright witch she was and Harry Potter himself asked for her autograph. Ron Weasley grinned at her, plucking a rose from the bouquet and handed it to her.

"It's not nearly as beautiful as you," she distinctly remembered him saying, "but since nothing can compare to your beauty, it will have to do."

There was a bang at the end of her bed that caused Hermione to shoot up from the warm covers with her wand in hand.

The loud, blonde-haired named Lavender hissed as she jumped up and down on one foot. "Merlin, that hurt!" She complained.

An Indian looking girl Hermione knew as Parvati Patil peeked around the corner of the lavatory and giggled. "Careful, I'm sure that bed was expensive."

Lavender smiled and stopped hopping. "Oh quiet, Parvati. I know you're just trying to pull my quill feather." She turned to Hermione and eyed her wand carefully. "Jumpy, aren't we?"

Hermione lowered her hand and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I was just startled, is all."

Lavender gave Hermione another look over with her eyes, ending at her hair. "Why do you style your hair like that? It's not a muggle thing, is it?"

Hermione reached up and patted her bushy hair, frowning slightly. "No, I've never had time to mess with it to be perfectly honest."

Lavender nodded slowly and looked back at Parvati who looked torn between laughing and saying something. "It's… nice?" She attempted to complement.

Hermione's eyes fell to the crimson comforter of her bed. "Thank you."

Lavender went to the loo with Parvati and they immediately began speaking quickly in hushed tones. Hermione had a strong suspicion that it was about her hair, but she pushed that thought aside. Today was the first day of classes! Her first day to prove herself as a witch, muggle-born or not! She tossed the covers off her legs and quietly tiptoed to the end of her bed where her trunk lay. She unlatched it carefully, pulling out her school uniform and her robes. She dressed as carefully as possible as to not wake Fay Dunbar and the other girl whose name she couldn't remember hearing.

As soon as her shoes were tied and her robes were on, Hermione snatched her wand and text books from the bedside table and dashed out the door. She peered around the common room as she finished descending the staircase, not catching a glimpse at Ron Weasley or Harry Potter. Assuming that they were either still asleep or already down in the Great Hall for breakfast, she squared her shoulders and climbed out the portrait hole, making her way to the Great Hall.

There weren't nearly as many students at the tables as she'd hoped. There were a few Hufflepuffs, mostly older students, a couple Gryffindors, and only one Slytherin. The Ravenclaw table, however, was much more crowded than the others, nearly all of the students poring over their textbooks. Hermione sighed, glancing back over at the Gryffindor table where a bulky boy had just let out an obnoxious snore.

_'I _do_ hope I've made the right decision._' She thought as she forced herself to move to the table, loading her plate up with toast and fruit before pulling her _History of Magic_ text out and re-reading chapters one through three.

What seemed like hours later, the Great Hall slowly but surely became louder and louder as the students poured in through the giant double doors. Soon, Hermione found it impossible to read, as every time she heard the name _Harry Potter_, it caught her attention and she would have to begin reading the same sentence over again.

"There, look!" She heard a girl behind her whisper.

"Where?" Another girl responded.

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair!" She giggled.

Hermione glanced up from her book to see Ron and Harry had entered the Great Hall without her noticing. They were sitting on the other side of the table a few seats down. As if sensing her looking their way, Ron glanced over and blushed. Both of them quickly adverted their eyes.

_'I've gone completely mental_!' Hermione groaned internally. She had to get out of there and clear her mind before her first class began. There was no possible way that she could let some insignificant infatuation get in the way of her studies. She snatched her books and stood up, walking with her head held high as she went out the doors and down the hall. She walked a ways before arriving at a pretty arched doorway. Peering inside, her heart leapt with excitement at what she saw.

'_The Library!'_ A smile spread across her face as she walked in. There were rows and rows bookshelves nearly reaching the ceiling, high enough to need a ladder, though she wouldn't see one. There were many tables arranged in the center of the room and quotes carved into the molding on the wall.

"Can I help you?" A sharp voice called to Hermione.

She jumped, holding her hand to her chest. Beside her stood a thin, angry-looking woman with a straight but slightly hooked nose and pursed lips. "N-no, Ma'am. I was just surprised to see such a large amount of books. It's so much different from my last school. I was just excited, I all."

"Excited?" She eyed Hermione wearily. "To what? Scribble and steal the books? I think not."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh no, of course not!" She assured. "I'd _never_ do that! I love reading and books!"

The woman's eyes softened slightly but her expression remained fierce. "Very well. If you need any assistance, my name is Madam Prince. Keep quiet and don't fold the corners of the pages."

Hermione watched in wonder as Madam Prince whipped around headed to a shelf where she began to dust the shelves manually with a feather duster. With a small shrug, Hermione continued to tour the Library until there were twenty minutes before first class. Collecting her bag and directing a polite smile to Madam Prince (whom which seemed to struggle with smiling back, causing it to look much more like a grimace than a smile), Hermione rushed to History of Magic, where she saw another ghost, only this one was dressed more properly and had a sleepy and bored expression etched on his face. _Professor Binns_ was written on the blackboard and Hermione immediately scribbled down the name of her professor at the top her notes.

"Bloody hell, I thought Fred and George meant the professor was just really boring when they said he was _dead_ boring. I suppose they really meant he wasdead _and_ boring."

Hermione turned around to see Ron and Harry drop their belongings onto a table three away from where she sat in the front. They both looked somewhat excited but also weary. Hermione couldn't blame them. It was quite nervewracking, meeting your professors for the first time.

_'You can only make one first impression,'_ She reminded herself._ 'careful not to mess it up.'_

"May I sit here?" A small voice asked.

Hermione looked up to see Susan Bones from the train standing with her books next to the desk. She looked highly uncomfortable, her eyes darting to the exit every couple moments.

"Of course, of course." Hermione shoved her things closer to her to make sure there was plenty of room for Susan.

Susan sat down quickly, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid so much so that Hermione was nearly inclined to report it to Professor Binns. Susan Bones certainly seemed to have let her nerves get the best of her. Due to this, Hermione didn't expect Susan to speak with her. As usual, she was correct.

A couple of minutes later, the bell rang and Professor Binns began taking roll. He didn't bother looking up from the scroll as he called out to them. Nor, Hermione noticed, did he look back at them when he was writing notes on the board to see if anyone had any questions. Never in her years in school prior had she ever come in contact with such a dreadfully dull professor, but she maintained respect. He was dead, after all. He'd obviously been doing this profession for a very, _very_ long time.

Before too long, class was over. Looking around, Hermione saw that much more than half of the class had fallen asleep. Her eyes fell on the red head beside Harry. Harry nudged him with his elbow, causing him to sit straight up, blinking rapidly.

"Wha' I miss?" He asked groggily.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. How could he be so careless? He just missed an entire lesson worth of valuable notes that could certainly be seen on the final exam! His eyes met hers, and she immediately began collecting her things. She knew for sure that she shouldn't waste her time on a silly crush on Ron Weasley. If he didn't care enough about himself to stay awake and simply take notes that could impact his future, he certainly wouldn't care about her.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Many scenes in this story come directly from the books authored by J.K. Rowling and are entirely hers.

Chapter Six

After History of Magic, Hermione had Charms with a tiny little man who had to stand on books in order to see over the desk. Despite his lack of height, he certainly wasn't lacking in brains. Though, Hermione wasn't surprised since he was the Ravenclaw Head of House. The thought made her heart tug as she glanced at the Ravenclaws with their blue and bronze ties. She couldn't help but feel as if she'd made some sort of mistake. She made a mental note to research if there was any possible way that she could be transferred into Ravenclaw, though she seriously doubted it. The Houses seemed permanent.

Professor Flitwick gave a loud squeak and fell off his stack of books, startling Hermione. She looked around, seeing most of her classmates staring at and whispering about Harry. His cheeks were pink and he nervously flattened down his hair over his scar. Ron, on the other hand, was snickering under his breath, obviously trying rather hard not to let a professor hear him.

The corners of Hermione's lips curved into a smile, but she quickly shook it off.

_ 'He's ridiculously immature!' _She scolded herself mentally. _'It would never work, I tell you!'_

Charms continued and Hermione was pleasantly pleased to find that Charms had more of a direct approach, practicing with wand-in-hand verses quill-in-hand. Though she didn't much mind writing notes, she loved being the first one to master a spell. The praise she received was nearly addicting and she knew that the better she did, the more there would be to write to mum and dad about, and thus they wouldn't worry quite as much.

The bell rang and Hermione glanced at her schedule to quadruple check that it was indeed time for lunch. Packing her belongings gently, she walked carefully down the ever-changing staircases and got a seat at the Gryffindor table before she had to sit next to anyone unparticular. She wanted to make friends, but at the same time, she really just wanted to be alone. She was truly beginning to miss the silence of her parent's house when she'd arrive home from school and they would still be at work. She missed how easily it was for her to get lost in a book without being interrupted by barbaric boys and giggling girls.

The food again appeared out of nowhere but was extremely delicious. She gathered a turkey sandwich and some chopped carrots. She made a mental note to add in that she was eating healthy in her letter to her parents. She knew they would be happy to hear that.

Noisily, Ron and Harry tossed their belongings on the bench next to them and began shoveling food into their mouths.

_'Then again,'_ Hermione thought, _'there is one thing they could possibly be worried about.'_ Hermione's parents had always known that she didn't care to have friends her own age, but she'd heard them many times say that it was perfectly alright because she had teachers and family to keep her company. Now, of course, that wasn't the case. She was constantly surrounded by her classmates. She studied with them, she ate with them, and she shared her room with them.

_'Just because I haven't made friends yet doesn't mean I won't make them at all!'_ She reasoned with herself. _'It just means that it is going to take a while for the right friends to come my way.'_

She looked down at her plate, suddenly losing her appetite. Hermione grabbed her things and walked out of the Great Hall, feeling a pair of eyes on her as she fled. Her feet took her straight to the library, something she hadn't really thought about. It seemed that though she felt as if she were losing her mind and completely lost, her feet knew where they were going.

"Back again?" Madam Prince looked at her from behind a bookshelf.

"Yes, ma'am. I was going to browse, if that's alright."

Madam Prince gave her a sharp nod. "That would be perfectly fine, Miss…?"

"Granger, ma'am."

"Miss Granger." Madam Prince repeated. "Take your time. Let me know if you need assistance."

Hermione smiled as Madam Prince disappeared behind the bookshelf once more. Although she was quite strange and a bit grumpy, Hermione felt like she may be on her way to making her first friend at Hogwarts.

Hermione checked out one book that day. Madam Prince had pointed it out to her, telling her she seemed like the respectable sort of witch who would enjoy it. The book was titled _'Madam Treeheart's 1001 Poems for the Witch's Soul. _Hermione grinned at the thought of Madam Prince reading poetry to better her soul, but she didn't say anything. She deeply appreciated the recommendation and felt as if it could possibly give her a better understanding of what it meant to be a real witch.

After giving Hermione a full speech on what the book should look like once it's been returned and the consequences of bending the pages or writing the in margins, she waved her off, telling her not to let any of her friends borrow the book and went back to dusting.

Hermione went ahead to her next class of the day, Transfigurations. Although the class didn't start for another thirty minutes, she didn't want to go back into the Great Hall. She sat her things carefully on the ground beside her and pulled out her Transfigurations text, reading over the first couple chapters again. She knew that Professor McGonagall was the head of Gryffindor house. She thought briefly of her dream, wishing with all of her heart that something like that could happen. That she could win everyone over with her brains and make friends after all.

'_I'll certainly do my best.'_ She vowed.

"Wha' are you doing?" A raspy voice bellowed.

Hermione jumped, snapping her head in the direction of the voice. A horribly un-groomed man with a cat was storming towards her.

"I'm sorry?" She closed her book and held it tightly to her chest. She didn't think she had broken any school rules. Surely just sitting outside a classroom waiting for it to start wasn't against school rules!

"You kids and your silly mind games, I know wha' you're up to! You're getting ready to trash this here classroom, aren't you? Well, make my words, Missy, you and your nasty little friends won't be getting another one over me! I'll have you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeon-"

"_Mister Filch!"_ A sharp voice cut him off. Hermione glanced the other way, seeing Professor McGonagall striding towards them with her cloak waving with every step she took. "That is quite enough. Now if you would, remove yourself from my corridor."

"Now listen 'ere, McGonagall, I was just-"

"_Now, _Argus!" She snapped.

He mumbled under his breath and began limping the direction in which he came.

"Thank you, Professor." She smiled at Professor McGonagall.

The Professor nodded. "Don't mind, Filch. He's never been very pleasant. You are waiting for my class, aren't you?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Please, come in." She waved her wand at the doorknob and it unlatched. They both entered the large classroom and Hermione made sure to get a seat up front in the very first row.

Hermione opened her text back up to the page she had left off when Filch had startled her. She noticed that Professor McGonagall stared in her direction for a few moments, and then continued with preparing her classroom for today's lesson.

This room seemed to fill up slower than the others, possibly because everyone's stomachs were very full from lunch. She wondered how that would affect their grades, having lunch just before. She made a mental note not to eat as much as she'd seen Ron and Harry eating. She doubted that they'd be able to stay awake.

As soon as the bell rang, Professor McGonagall swished her wand at the door, causing it to shut and lock. The classroom fell silent and watched her intently.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Hermione couldn't help but feel a great rush of respect for Professor McGonagall. They way she held herself, the knowledge she possessed. She was quite obviously a very strong witch. As if to prove Hermione's thoughts, Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at her desk and it transformed into a pig and back. Everyone clapped and began discussing excitedly if they were going to learn that in today's lesson. Hermione knew better, of course, and seemed to be the only one who read through the first lesson.

Professor McGonagall handed out matches to everyone and went over the spell on the blackboard and explained the theory behind the spell, which Hermione wrote down word for word. She loved getting different explanations over the different theories, as it helped her better understand the overall concept as a whole and thus allowing her to better understand it in general.

As soon as Professor McGonagall was finished, she told them to begin practicing turning the match into a needle. Hermione went to work, but was quickly disappointed that she didn't manage to change the match completely into a needle on the first try. In fact, the only thing she'd managed to do was dull the color a bit.

_'Come on, Granger! Focus!'_

She remembered her dream, thinking about how fantastic it felt to receive so much praise. She had to succeed! She just had to!

Every try, the match started to look more and more like a needle. By the third try, it was a dull grey, but the seventh try, the match was very much silver and thinning out. By the end of class, the match was nearly complete, completely silver, sharp, and only needing to be thinned a bit more in order to look like any ordinary needle.

"Very good, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall picked up her nearly-finished needle and showed it to the class.

"See here, everyone. Miss Granger's match is nearly complete. Do you see the points and the shine of the silver? Well done, Miss Granger. I'm impressed." She smiled at Hermione.

Though the praise wasn't nearly as much as she'd hoped, Hermione was still very happy about it. She glanced over at Ron and Harry. Harry was watching Professor McGonagall with a shocked expression while Ron was watching her. His ears went red and he looked down at his match, which was a dark grey and limp like a noodle.

Hermione smiled to herself, returning the needle-match to Professor McGonagall before heading off to her last class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts. She'd seen Professor Quirrell a few times both in the hallways and in the front of the Great Hall. He didn't seem too impressive for a Professor, much less one to be teaching such an important subject. Despite the subject he was teaching, Professor Quirrell was always shaky and jumpy, and he was forever stuttering, which made it difficult for Hermione to understand what he was saying. The next thing she noticed about Quirrell whilst in the classroom was how horribly he stunk of garlic. She'd heard rumors about how he was terrified of vampires so he shoved garlic in his turban. Thirdly, and as odd as it would have been if it were any other student, Professor Quirrell was constantly shooting glances over at Harry. As disappointed as she was, she took note vigorously and asked as many questions as she could. It was, after all, a very interesting subject. She just wished that she had a more interesting professor.

Thankfully, the bell rang rather quickly and Hermione set off for the Great Hall for dinner. The boy who had lost his toad, Neville, followed her.

"You did r-really great in Transfigurations." He told her nervously. "The most I managed to do was make the entire thing black."

Hermione smiled at him politely. "If you'd like, I can help you. It'd be nice having someone to study with."

His face lit up. "R-really? Gee, thanks Hermione! That'd be great!"

There was a loud snort from behind them. "Trying to get yourself a girlfriend, Longbottom?"

The blonde boy whom Hermione recognized as one of the boys that had run out of Ron and Harry's compartment on the train.

"A bit too pretty for you, isn't she, Longbottom?" He smirked at her, then his eyes fell on her tie. "What a shame. It's too bad you weren't sorted into Slytherin. Then you wouldn't have to talk with losers like _him._"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "No, then I'd just have to converse with egotistical hair-brains like _you_. No if you don't mind, Neville and I have some studying to do." She dragged Neville away from the blonde boy, who was gaping at her.

"Thank you, Hermione." Neville whispered once they'd sat down. "Malfoy has been picking on me since we got on the train."

Hermione sighed. "You need to stand up for yourself, Neville. If you keep letting jerks like Malfoy push you around… you're in _Gryffindor_, Neville! You were sorted in here for a reason."

He blushed and began shakily piling food on his plate. Hermione didn't pay attention to him. She continued thinking about what she had just said. _You were sorted in here for a reason._ As she pondered what she had just said, her eyes met with a pretty blue pair, sitting a few seats down on the opposite side of the table.

**Reviews from the last chapter:**

**LovelyAlice831****- Thank you so much! You're a doll!**

**Romance and Musicals****- Thanks! My goal is to keep the Hermione and the others as in character as possible! And I was kind of nervous about the dream scene so thank you for letting me know it wasn't as awful as I thought it might be! **

**ykickamoocow111****- First of all, WOW! I love getting extra long and detailed reviews! So thank you for that! I appreciate how deeply you went with your analysis. All that you wrote was exactly what I had been thinking so I'm glad I'm portraying my thoughts correctly though the story! **

**Thank you again everyone for the great reviews! The reviews are what keep me motivated when writing fanfictions. As always, if you have any suggestions or requests, please let me know! Thank you! ~President-Of-S.P.E.W**


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